I feel like meal prepping is a topic that sounds so daunting. “You’re telling me I have to prep an entire week of meals in one day?! Impossible.” That’s what I thought at first too. Through trial and error and lots of practice I finally feel like I’m getting the hang of it. The biggest change didn’t happen with meal prepping itself, but with my mindset behind it. In the beginning I looked at it as a time consuming activity and something that my time could be better spent on. Well no wonder why it felt so overwhelming!! I shifted my mentality to see how much time it’d actually save me in the long run. By prepping all the meals at once, I cut out all the thinking about what I was going to have for a meal, the last minute grocery trips, the time to cook it and clean up. I also love how it stopped me from making worse choices in what I was eating because I never had to think about what was next and possibly default to the fast food option. Learning to meal prep reminded me that food isn’t just meant to crave my hunger, but it’s purpose is to fuel my body for the day. That doesn’t mean you have to derive yourself either! There are so many healthier alternative recipes to your favorite comfort food meals. However, I recognize I’m a newbie and I’m still learning. So, in the interest to give you all the most valuable advice and tips, I’ve ask a friend to give you her tips, as this is one of her areas of expertise.

Organizing home offices are so much fun for me to organize. I’m able to think and map out the processes and systems my clients will need to use. However, it is also the toughest room for me to organize because each person has different habits and initial systems, so it takes a lot of one-on-one interaction with the client (which I also love!). If you wanted to organize your desk at home though, how can you do it if I’m not there? Here are three steps to desk organization.

Step 1: Designate Desktop Items - Try to allocate as few things as possible as desktop items. These are things that are the only things left on the desk at the end of the day. For example, it could be your computer, a cup of writing utensils, a lamp and some sort of desktop organizer. By only having a few things that remain on the desk, it makes room for the things you use during the work day. When I work, I always have my planner and notebook, but at the end of the day these things are easy to tuck away until the next work day. The "out of sight out of mind" mentality is something to keep in mind too. Things you need to remember to do or things that come to your desk frequently, (the daily papers from your boss or bills you need to remember to pay, etc.) give these things a home on the desk in the form of a desktop organizer or paper tray.

Step 2: Find everything else a home - Books on the bookshelf, papers filed away in a filing drawer, office supplies in drawer organizer. Whatever else you have, if they are not what you deemed as “desktop items”, find another (close) home for them.​Step 3: Add to the aesthetics - This is a place you may spend a lot of time in. You want to make sure it’s aesthetically pleasing!! By adding plants, a vision board, favorite quotes, etc. you increase the energy you attract just from being in this space! Try it. Your productivity, inspiration and creativity should increase the more you enjoy being in the space you work in.

If we have to work, we mind as well make sure it’s in a space we enjoy being in!! Give these three steps a try. I want you to be the most productive and inspired version of yourself!!

Can you say Road Trip?!?! We just got back from an 16 hour drive (round trip) and while it was long, it made me reminisce about the days when we first started dating. My husband and I started our relationship off by him driving me home from school on his way home for breaks and some weekends throughout college. This was a 5 hour drive so we had a lot of time to talk, get to know each other, and have some pretty epic sing-a-longs and dance parties. We are veterans to road tripping and have learned a few things along the way which you can read here, but as far as everyday use, how are you supposed to keep your car organized?? Here’s what I’ve come up with:

Get car washes regularly and utilize the vacuums. This is huge for me because if the outside looks clean, it makes me want to make sure the inside matches. Also, here in Wisconsin salting the roads is a big thing so the car gets extra grimy from that. With a dog too, vacuuming out the car regularly is important to me because I don’t want dog hair all over me and neither do my passengers. That being said, we have this seat cover for dogs that works wonders. It’s also waterproof which we learned when Steve (our Australian Shepard) had an accident in the back seat….

Get a car organizer. I have this car organizer from The Container Store and I love how durable it is and easy to collapse. In this organizer I have all my reusable bags for grocery shopping and any seasonal items.

Look at seasonal necessities. For winter in Wisconsin, I need to make sure I have an ice scraper and snow brush. I also have this tall bin from The Container Store for all the smaller seasonal items like extra gloves, scarf, hat and an umbrella. These bins fit in the organizer really well so you can mismatch sizes! You can even go as far as having a bin for each member of the family if you wanted.

Decide what your needs are. With is just being our dog, the seat cover is all we really need for him, but if you have kids, having a car bin with a few toys or books is a good way to keep their toys organized (not mixing and matching house toys and on the go toys) and it will give them something to look forward to during their car rides (Pro-Tip from my MIL!!).

Snacks -- because who has time to be hangry? A snack bin of non-perishable items will come in handy so often!! I use a smaller version of my seasonal items bin which you can find here.

Be sure to restock/update your bins appropriately. Restock on the snacks, switch out your seasonal necessity bins, and update the toy bin.

Think of the other odds and ends. I have a lint roller in my glove box along with a roll of packaging tape (every time I go to the post office to mail a box I always forget to tape it beforehand and end up buying another roll of tape. I finally learned and just put one in my car!!). I also have a tire pressure gauge, napkins/tissues and a car charger. The other thing is a spot for garbage. On longer road trips we have a bag in the car, but just day to day I use the door pocket. Just be sure to empty it regularly!

I hope these tips make your car rides more enjoyable & more organized :)Where is your favorite place to go on road trips to??Until next time!Hugs & love,Emily

Hello, friends! If you’re tuning into this blog for the first time, I’m so happy you’re here. And if you’re returning, thank you and welcome back!! At the end of each month I do a month recap of sorts. For March, I want to talk about balance.

Hi all!! Happy Tuesday!! Today we are talking about an area of the home that we all go into multiple times a day -- the bathroom. This is an area of the home that if organized has the potential to save us the most money (along with pantry organization). If we don’t know where things are and think we ran out of it, we purchase more. Then you somehow end up with 10 of the same thing! It is important to keep our bathrooms nice and organized so we know what we have each day when we are getting ready or looking for something to save that extra money.

When I was thinking about getting a surface, there were a lot of mixed reviews, but I went with my gut feeling to get one. I have the Surface Pro 3 and love it! I wanted something light weight that I could take on the go for consultation meetings and on-site organizing days. It’s a little touchy if you don’t use a keyboard with it, but for what I use it for (especially Excel), it’s perfect. I also purchased PDF Annotator so my clients can sign the contract immediately!! This really cut down on the back and forth emailing with my clients and having to print/sign/scan back contracts. It has made the process of booking clients so much more efficient. I am still figuring out all that it's capable of, but so far so good!

Asana

If I could pick one tool that has hands down changed the way I do business, it’s Asana. I first learned about Asana from Megan Minns at the She Did it Her Way Summit. Megan has a course, Asana HQ, that I took that goes through how Asana works and how to effectively use it for both business and personal use. It was worth every penny!! If you want to try it out click here! (You won't regret it!) I could go on all day about Asana, but I’ll touch on a few of my favorite key points:

I’m able to rearrange things at a moment’s notice. I am just a lover of paper planners, but when it came to business I was constantly having to cross out or white out things that changed or didn’t go according to plan. Being a perfectionist and slightly OCD this drove me crazy!! Now with a click and drop I can easily rearrange things to fit my schedule and my process.

I also love that you can see everything at a glance. For instance a project like the Spring Cleaning Organizing Challenge, I’m able to see the whole project come to life in one screen. It reminds me to look at how each project corresponds with each other and makes it really easy to see what I have to get done.

It's free and links with Google Drive. Nuff said.

Google Drive

I love Google Drive. I love how I can easily access it from my phone, easily share things and link it right into Asana. I plan out all my blogs in a Google Doc first then link it to the task in Asana, I keep client photos and contracts in Google Drive too. It’s just nice to have everything in one spot that I can access by just logging into my email.

iPhone

I probably do 80% of my work from my phone. From checking in on my Facebook groups and other groups I belong to, to keeping the Instagram up to date, it’s a miracle my phone keeps a charge long enough to last me a day. Documenting jobs with before and after pictures is a must and the camera on the 7 plus gets the job done. I have apps for everything to be able to work on the go! Asana, Google Drive, MailChimp, Survey Monkey, Weebly and Google Calendar are the ones I use most often. I also use my phone to record any processes that I think you guys will find helpful and I do it all with my iPhone.

inkWell Press Journal

I do use a paper journal in addition to all my other tools. I have this inkWell journal that I used for awhile to list out my "Big Three" for the day, but since I've filled it up already (actually, I've filled up two...they're great!) I recently just switched to their daily journal. I love it because you write in the date yourself, so I don’t feel like I’m wasting paper on the days I’m on-site organizing or not working that I don’t need to write my Big Three! This journal has helped to create focus and productivity in my work day which in turns pays for itself. If you want to try out any inkWell Press products (my fav!) then click here for a discount code!!

There they are, my Top 5 Project Management Tools and Products. I don't know how I would run my business without them! I hope you have a very productive and organized day and rest of your week!!

Hello friends! Happy Tuesday & end of February!!​As February comes to a close I can’t help but think to what has driven me the past few months. Lately, I’ve been searching to find direction and clarity with what brings me joy and productivity so that I’m able to better serve my clients and loved ones. When I sat down to really hone in on what these things were I thought back to the New Year Resolutions I set.

You’re probably thinking, “Huh, those are still a thing in February?” They do last beyond January believe it or not!! I was very intentional when setting these resolutions because I wanted to use them to help grow personally and professionally.

So, thinking back to the blog post I did listing out my NYRs, I had the ones I wasn’t too worried about keeping because I knew I had a good foundation to create the habit. They were: ​

Workout on a regular basis (Check!! Thanks to 80 Day Obsession!)

Pray Daily (Check!! Blessed is She and Dynamic Catholic’s Best Lent Ever Videos)

Honor the Business Goals I set at the beginning of the year. I have, but haven’t done this. I had the goals, but I quickly learned I needed to be open to new opportunities that I didn’t even think of January 1st. Opportunities that are better than I ever could’ve asked for!! So I’m rerouting a tad and adjusting as I go, but still honoring putting in the time my business deserves.

The last NYR however was a tricky one for me. Reading two books per month. This coming from the girl who it once took two years to finish one book and I’m not even really sure I remember the ending. This was a goal I knew would be the hardest for me to succeed at because it was exploiting a weakness of mine. In the past when I would sit down to read, I’d just think of all the other things I could be getting done. Once I shifted my mindset to taking this time to learn and further develop, it was a game changer.

I didn’t meet this goal in January. I only read 1.5 books, so I went into the first week of February determined to finish She Means Business by Carrie Green (which I did!). I started to think “Maybe it’d just be easier if I switched it to 1.5 books per month because that seems a little more manageable.”

I sat down two weeks ago and wrote an outline for this blog and guess what? I had only finished 1 out of my 2 books for February. I heard that voice sneak back in and say “Well really, you only need to read half of the second one.” I continued to write a rough draft of how it’s okay if you slip as long as you’re doing your best. I even wrote:

“Reading two books was a lofty goal at the beginning of the year, but I’m doing my best! … Even though I haven’t reached my 2 books per month goal, I am bound and determined to not beat myself up about it. Instead I’m choosing to reflect and adjust. I still want to keep the goal of 2 books per month, but I am adjusting my mentality that if I only get to 1.5, that’s okay too. ”

I call BS, past Emily. B.S. FREAKING ALERT. I just wasn’t making it a priority!! I was not doing my best and I was not okay with that. It was only after writing it out and seeing that I was accepting mediocrity, that I challenged myself to do better. And I did. I finished the second book in 7 days.

We need to truly believe we can accomplish the goals that we set for ourselves. If we don’t believe we can do it with every fiber in our bodies, we won’t. Plain and simple. Yes I know we can’t always do everything we set out to do, but did you at least give it your all? Giving myself that excuse for not finishing the second book was just taking an easy way out because I hadn’t dedicated the time to it.

I went to an event in the beginning of January and we got on the subject of New Year Resolutions. What I learned was that most people hadn’t even bothered to make any because they knew they wouldn’t keep them. That breaks my heart! It’s like they didn’t see themselves worthy of bettering themselves or didn’t believe enough in themselves to even try.

I know I’m just talking about New Year Resolutions, but it can be applied to all areas of our lives. What would happen if people had the same outlook on setting goals as they do with setting New Year Resolutions? Nothing or no one would ever get better!!

“Setting New Year Resolutions in any month but January are just called Goals"

If you’re on the edge of your seat with excitement to know the two books I finished this month, they were “The Great Divorce” by C.S. Lewis and “You are a Badass at Making Money” by Jen Sincero. Both wonderful books that I highly recommend!!

I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to read the words I put out on this blog. Take the time today to really think about one thing you can do in your life to become a better version of yourself and don’t put anything less than your best into becoming that you. Never forget that you are worthy of everything you desire.

Plan: Do you want bins, shelves, turntables? What size bins/containers do you need? Can you build something to help you? Be sure to measure your space and products before you head to the store so you can get the right size the first time.

Label, label label!!

As I said in the video, we built a shelf for the pantry. It allows the appliances down below to be up, off the floor which makes cleaning a breeze. We didn't stain or paint it because I wanted to wait until we were in a more permanent home. For more questions on how we built it, email me!!

If you are interested in signing up for the Spring Cleaning Organizing Challenge, click here!

​The daily organizing task will be send out via email and I will be going LIVE in the private Facebook group every week to answer any questions that may have come up that week. Since I will be going on this journey with you, you will be able to follow along with me here!

I know some of you reading this aren’t Catholic or don’t recognize Lent in your life, but I still want you to keep reading. There are many lessons that Lent can teach us. Lent is a time of reflection, sacrifice and transformation. It is a time that we take a look at our lives and reflect how we are living and compare that to how God would want us to live our lives. It is a time that we look at how we can be better versions of ourselves.Usually in lent, its commonly known that things are either added to or removed from our lives. By adding other good habits to our lives, we can be transformed by them. It is us taking action to being better versions of ourselves. By giving up or deleting things from our life or routine, it is a way for us to try to understand a fraction of the sacrifice Jesus made for us by dying on the cross. Some people choose to keep their Lenten resolutions to themselves, and that is perfectly fine! It is a time of inner transformation, however I’m choosing to share mine for the sole purpose to inspire. I want to inspire you to be better versions of yourselves and maybe, just maybe, these three things I’m changing in my life can serve as inspiration.

I will be doing daily prayer, reflection and journaling thanks to my Blessed Is She Lenten journal! I am so excited because I used their Advent Journal and I just felt like it made my prayer time more intentional.

I’m focusing on staying present and in the moment. Lately, I’ve been looking at things through a “conditional happiness” lens. “When this happens, I’ll be happier.” or “When I get/buy this, I’ll be happier.” That mentality is a rabbit hole because it takes me away from the present and recognizing that I’m so happy and blessed for all that I have right now. Not had in the past, or will have in the future, but right now. Another way I’ll be focusing on the present moment is reduced phone time. Specifically in the mornings and evenings. Starting tomorrow, I will be plugging in my phone in another room at night (thanks Amanda for the idea!) so I’m not tempted to scroll through social media first thing in the AM. This leaves room for my more intentional morning routine that I’ve created thanks to the inspiration from Alyssa :) Evenings with the hubby will also be a time that we are reducing our phone time. For two hours from the time we start dinner, we are just going to be present with each other and not be on any devices.

Using my time more efficiently.Working from home it is SO easy to get sucked into having the TV on in the background, which is easy because watching “my shows” is also a guilty pleasure of mine. This lent I am going to limit to one TV show during the day. It may sound silly, like “duh you shouldn’t be watching any TV during the day! Get your work done, girl!!” While that is one way to look at it, it is my way to unwind, relax and my version of “self care”. The time I will get back will be spent focusing on growing my business and giving my clients the time and attention they need, keeping up with my New Year Resolution to read two books per month, as well as work on a really fun project for Opt Org that I can tell you all about next week :)

So how is this different than new year’s resolutions? For those who recognize Lent, I guess there are a lot of similarities, there’s just more of a purpose for adding or giving up things. I will still (yes, still!! I haven’t given up on them yet!) keep up my New Year’s Resolutions, but I will be adding on these three things as well to grow in my faith. You may be thinking, “I can’t possibly add MORE things to my busy schedule and hectic daily routine!!”. If this is you let me ask you, are you BUSY, or PRODUCTIVE? What can you add or delete from your life that would make you more PRODUCTIVE? I had a talk with my husband the other day about the big difference between the two. Busyness leads us to feel overwhelmed and stressed. Being productive however can make us feel accomplished and fulfilled. Whether you recognize lent or not, how can you transform your life? What do you need to delete from your life that isn’t serving you? What can you do to be more productive? Whatever it is, let’s do it together. If not now, when?

Author

Emily has a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Iowa State University. There she learned how valuable organization can be in being productive. She chose to use this knowledge and help others achieve this productivity and optimization in their homes and small businesses. Read & Enjoy and as always, let us know if you have any questions!